While it’s never made quite the same song and dance about it as Microsoft has in recent years, Sony’s history is peppered with developer acquisitions designed to strengthen its first-party portfolio. It purchased Dutch developer Guerrilla Games in 2004 and long-time partner Sucker Punch in 2011. In the same general era, it also picked up LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule – and let’s not forget that studios like Naughty Dog were originally independent as well. Of course, Sony recently added Insomniac Games to its long list of first party Worldwide Studios.
While the Japanese giant has outright purchased some teams, it’s also established several organically. The likes of PixelOpus – who recently worked on Concrete Genie – and God of War developer Sony Santa Monica were formed to bolster the organisation’s exclusive output. But with current PlayStation boss Jim Ryan frequently hinting that the platform holder may be looking to add more teams to its roster, we figured it might be fun to consider the likeliest candidates.
Bluepoint Games
Founded: 2006
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Recognised as perhaps the best port house in the business, Bluepoint Games has pivoted from industry leading remasters to full-scale remakes in recent years. The team is perhaps best known for its awe-inspiring work on Shadow of the Colossus, where it preserved the gameplay of the original but brought the presentation up to the standards of an entirely new generation. It’s now strongly rumoured to be working on a Demon’s Souls remake, which could debut alongside the PS5.
Likelihood: Neutral. While it would certainly make sense for Sony to acquire Bluepoint Games, the studio’s strengths lie in remakes and remasters rather than original projects, and so PlayStation can probably call upon the independent Texas-based outfit whenever it has an idea it wants to explore.
Camouflaj
Founded: 2011
Location: Bellevue, Washington, USA
A relatively young studio, Camouflaj is currently working on Marvel's Iron Man VR exclusively for PlayStation VR. The developer previously released République on PS4 before adapting it into a VR title, so it seems the team is finding its feet in the virtual reality space. The Iron Man PSVR title is easily the most high profile game Camouflaj has made so far; if it does well, perhaps Sony could consider acquiring the studio.
Likelihood: Neutral. As with IllFonic (below), it's too early to tell if Camouflaj will become a prime contender to join Sony's first party group. The proof will very much be in the pudding with Iron Man VR. Sony is heavily invested in virtual reality, so perhaps it's looking to bring on a talented team to specialise in the area.
Housemarque
Founded: 1995
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Despite publicly attempting to reinvent its image recently, Sony and Housemarque’s relationship goes back a long way. Recognised for its arcade games, the studio is probably best known for PS4 launch title Resogun, but it’s also the mastermind behind PlayStation Store classics such as Super Stardust HD and Nex Machina. Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently visited the Finnish outfit, while CEO Ilari Kuittinen has talked about how smaller studios sometimes have to accept investment in order to stay alive.
Likelihood: High. Housemarque would land much-needed financial security, while Sony would add a reliable developer to its ranks. Both outfits already have a strong working relationship, so don’t rule this one out.
IllFonic
Founded: 2007
Location: Golden, Colorado, USA
IllFonic's history with PlayStation is limited, but it's worth considering the studio as a candidate for acquisition. Known for Friday the 13th: The Game, the team's latest title is Predator: Hunting Grounds, a PS4 exclusive asymmetrical multiplayer game. Given that Sony has been looking to explore multiplayer titles further, it makes sense it's publishing this unusual game. If it's successful, perhaps the platform holder may look to bring IllFonic fully on board.
Likelihood: Neutral. IllFonic's relationship with Sony is still pretty fresh, so it's hard to say whether the studio is likely to join Worldwide Studios. Again, it may all come down to how Predator: Hunting Grounds performs. One to watch.
Kojima Productions
Founded: 2015
Location: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Only auteur Hideo Kojima could find himself establishing a new studio named Kojima Productions – less than a year after he was ejected from the previous Kojima Productions under Konami’s control. The new company instantly entered into an arrangement with Sony, and would go on to leverage Guerrilla Games’ impressive Decima Engine for use on its debut project, Death Stranding. The two developers have since become deeply interlocked, with staff from Amsterdam regularly taking the trip from Tokyo and vice versa as the teams make a joint effort to evolve PlayStation’s proprietary game development technology.
Likelihood: Neutral. Kojima Productions has quickly become a part of the Worldwide Studios furniture, and its relationship with Guerrilla Games in particular seems mutually beneficial. Sony has played a key role in helping Hideo Kojima set up his new studio, but after being burned by Konami he may value his independence above all. It’s worth noting that ex-PlayStation president Andrew House played a key role in convincing Kojima to come on board, and he has since left the company.
Ready at Dawn
Founded: 2003
Location: Irvine, California, USA
This studio formed of ex-Naughty Dog and Blizzard devs made its start with games for Sony's PlayStation Portable. It made a name for itself with two excellent God of War entries for the handheld before it turned its collective hand to home console work. After spending years developing a state of the art game engine, Ready at Dawn released The Order: 1886, a maligned but visually jaw-dropping PS4 exclusive. After pivoting to something more family friendly with Deformers, the developer has mainly focused on virtual reality titles for PC headsets.
Likelihood: Low. It's clear the studio and Sony were at one stage very closely working together. However, after The Order failed to make an impact, it feels like the chances of the team joining Worldwide Studios is fairly slim.
Remedy Entertainment
Founded: 1995
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Best known for Max Payne but more popular in recent years for its work on Xbox exclusives like Quantum Break, Finnish developer Remedy has since broken away from Microsoft, bringing its next project Control to multiple platforms, including the PS4. Curiously, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida visited the studio recently, while it’s been touring various first-party outfits like Naughty Dog. We’ve also heard from a number of sources that Sony is lining up a bid, although the company’s recent reacquisition of the Alan Wake brand casts some doubt on that speculation.
Likelihood: Low. Remedy Entertainment has maintained its independence over the years, and so is unlikely to be particularly open to the idea of an acquisition. The team recently signed a deal with Epic Games to publish its next two titles, so a Sony buy-out probably isn't happening any time soon.
Supermassive Games
Founded: 2008
Location: Guildford, England
Supermassive Games has historically operated as a kind of gun-for-hire for some of Sony’s more adventurous projects. The British outfit played a key role in the development of PlayStation Move software, creating titles like Start the Party and Tumble. It’s also worked on PlayStation VR, with rails-shooter Until Dawn: Rush of Blood proving a particular highlight. It’s the teen-slasher which inspired the aforementioned virtual reality effort that it’s best known for, however, as Until Dawn has become something of a cult classic on the PS4.
Likelihood: Low. We can’t help but feel if Sony was going to acquire Supermassive Games, it would have happened already. The platform holder never seemed particularly eager to fund a follow-up, and now it’s signed up with Bandai Namco to create The Dark Pictures Anthology.
Which studios do you think Sony should acquire? Is this topic already tired in the wake of Microsoft’s recent spending spree? Cash the cheque in the comments section below.
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Comments 131
New game IPs and sequels may not always work out. But re-leasing a previous hit is a pretty safe move; just ask Nintendo. So acquiring Bluepoint Games makes sense.
Did you forget RAD or think its not relevant ?
Buy Retro Studios, pull another Microsoft on Nintendo ;p
i think housemarque sounds good on paper, until you realize that their output of games have not sold very well — to the extent that housemarque theemselves went on record to say that they can no longer focus on arcade-style games and need to go in a different direction. sony would then be investing in a studio that specializes in a genre of games that have struggled to find financial success? for as good as most of their games are, that sounds like a bad "financial" move.
as for bluepoint and kojima productions, those are a match made in heaven and sony should have had discussions about this years ago. i can see no better match for everyone involved there.
insomniac will never happen — as stated in the article, they clearly want to maintain ownership of future IP and for that reason alone, they will not give in to sony ownership. their 2nd party relationship suits them just fine as is. with at least 2 more spiderman games being planned, they already have a "1st party relationship" of sorts anyways.
once upon a time, i really thought quantic dream would be a shoe-in for sony. never happened of course, so you can never truly tell. i also thought ready at dawn would be a no-brainer. had the order:1886 not been so unfairly criticized, perhaps rad would have been 1st party right now. i would say to give the studio another chance wtih an order sequel and evaluate an acquisition at a later point. the studio proved that they are extremely talented and fit the mold of sony 1st party games with its focus on cinematic storytelling.
Sony should acquire insomniac games for future marvel and vr games, bluepoint games for sony old classic remakes, and of course kojima production
REMEDY or Insomniac.
Last thing they need is some garbage $29 games Indie developer. And they more or less funded Kojima Productions
REMEDY already getting experience working with RayTracing in stunning 4K games with CONTROL. So good to have for PS5.
@Porco you know about insomniac perhaps they could do what Square Enix did with io interactive where they was owned by Square but io still owned the ip's, that's how they kept Hitman when they brought themselves from Square
Insomniac Games will definitely be a part of Playstations first party.
The fact that, they actually had financial problems after Quantam Break, while being globally known and had MS back, is the absolute proof to me.
The whole "Insomniac Games wants to remain independent" talk was said years ago. Before Quantam Break happened. Things changes.
I'm pretty sure Quantam Break got them worried for their future and being part of Sony is steady success and safety for Insomniac Games as time has proven.
Kojima Productions never gonna happen.
I think all of these studios would be excellent acquisitions with insomniac and kojima being the "blockbuster" signings.
Every studio wants their independance so I think thats goes for every studio. It comes down to financial security, job security and the bottom line. The more a company needs financial security the cheeper it is to obtain. Sony could buy EA if they wanted to spend enough money.
Why nobody is talking about Sony jumping on a studios like from software, platinum games or even better bungie will be a great purchase since Sony wants to push on multiplayer games
@Splints it won’t be a good acquisition at all unless Sony gets the exclusive rights to all there sports games and Star Wars. That’s highly unlikely
Housemarque seems kinda likely.
Their relationship with Sony been going on forever, it feels like.
Even though Sony recently stated to focus on AAA games in the future. I can see Housemarque could be extended into a Triple A studio. Maye a similar way as Naughty Dog and co at the time.
There is no doubt that Housemarque is very talented and that Sony is aware of it.
Insomniac have always felt like a Sony studio, as long as we keep getting there games it's all good.
Remedy Entertainment seems very unlikely as of now.
Sony and Remedy barely have a relationship. I think Sony wants Remedy as second party first, to see how they resonate with the Playstation Nation in terms of games quality. So an exclusive for PS5 but as second party studio.
There is a long way before Sony aquires Remedy Entertainment.
@JoeBlogs see, that is the attitude i am speaking of. a short game does not equate to terrible quality. in fact, it is still one of the most beautiful games on ps4 and has some of the most unique weapons i have ever seen in a shooter. the story was also very intrigueing. what the game lacked was a better balance between story and gameplay more than anything. with a solid foundation, a sequel would have potential to be incredible so long as they can iron out some of the caveats. perhaps people such as yourself do not have the foresight to see this. or perhaps you have not even played the game yourself to know it isn't even remotely as bad as the critics seem to think it is. a solid 7 out of 10 game in my opinion and an EASY 8 or 9 should they get a second crack at it and sort out the story to gameplay ratio and increase the length a bit.
@JAMes-BroWWWn You seem to have studios completely mixed up, judging by your previous comments. Remedy made Quantum Break, not Insomniac.
if i was to pick one of those, it'd probably be insomniac, if only for the hope that there might be life left yet in the resistance franchise, and its main studio is close to sony santa monica and naughty dog, so much closer collaboration would be possible.
i can see how housemarque, insomniac and kojima could fit within the sony WWS.. the others not so much. remedy's quantum break was fairly mediocre, and for me, control doesn't look that much better, even if sony have signed on for a marketing/exclusive content deal. bluepoint seems like the kind of company that you'd go to if you want an excellent refurb, but not a showroom for something brand new.
Kojima, HouseMarque and Remedy seen the most logical.
Especially Kojima. I mean he has strong ties with Sony and loves making AAA, story driven, action adventure titles.
They should just buy up Konami and take the Metal Gear IP.
Housemarque and Super Massive seem to be the most likely and whilst Insomniac have a 'great' relationship with Sony, I don't think they would be willing to give up their independence.
If Sony do add more studio's, that may put pressure on MS to get more to keep up, if not beat Sony on quantity of studio's. The next gen could see very few 'independent' studio's. A big chunk of the games releasing on either PS5 OR Xbox which would entice gamers to have both just to play a third (or more) of the games releasing each year.
I know that some people care more about Sony's big hitters compared to MS's but when their new studio's start hitting their stride, it maybe a bit more difficult to pick one or the other as a 'gamer'. It doesn't really matter to me because I will own both and won't miss out on ND, GG, SP and any other Sony studio games whether they add more to their portfolio or not - and I can say the same for the Xbox studio's too - inc Ninja Theory, Obsidian, the Initiative, InXile, Playground Games etc.
I am not complaining about these independent studios being tied to a platform at all because with the budget and support from all the 'big' studios - whether that's Sony's or MS's - the chances are that this will enable them to be much more ambitious and develop much better games with only a single platform to focus on as a result. Owning both also means that I, as a gamer, won't be missing out on games as a result of them losing their 'independent' status.
@JAMes-BroWWWn Quantum Break was Remedy, not Insomniac.
I personally don't see the point in buying studios they already have a strong relationship with. Why buy Insomniac when they are already willing to work on exclusive PS4 titles? Same for Bluepoint. I just don't see the point.
Acquire Nintendo, that'll really help me out.
@JJ2 We plan to update this article so we could definitely add Ready at Dawn later down the line.
insomniac games for the win.remedy and bluepoint is cool also.give me io interactive also.word up son
@Morenoj1220 Because none of those sound especially realistic in my opinion.
@JAMes-BroWWWn
Wrong company. Insomniac did not make Quantum Break or Control. You are thinking of Remedy. And I doubt Remedy is going to happen either (at least not in the near future). They are the least likely of the whole list.
@BAMozzy
Buying up studios does not mean the lack of independent studios next gen. More studios are always being created. People leave studios to start their own all the time. That is how many of these game studios being discussed started in the first place. The more you buy the more will pop up and replace them.
What you have to look at is how a studio benefits Sony's future goals. And according to Yoshida that will be service based priority. They need content that is continous. They are going to make a big push with PSNow next-gen and that takes content that differentiates yourself. This is what Microsoft is doing by buying smaller (but established teams) to bring out continous content (not just big AAA blockbuster games) all in order to support both Game Pass and their streaming aspirations and keep people in their ecosystem and paying to play.
If anything that is exactly what Sony wants as well (just look at Yoshida's comments on all this - he understands where the market is heading and he wants to be prepared to do battle there). They have a good stable of larger AAA games makers, they need the smaller content makers to differentiate and fill the void with those larger breaks between the times the AAA games appear and to avoid dry spells. Sony making moves about buying up developers is all about those similar plans of GAAS (streaming and game subscriptions) and keeping those people paying to play in a digital ecosystem. And less about supporting a console.
@Porco
I agree with most of what you said in first comment except for Housemarque. Sounds actually very interesting considering what you said and the real potential they have being well above the current value.
@Porco
I think The Order 1886 length was the only real issue. Had it been three times as long with a satisfactory ending would have justified the price and the cinematic action experience without needing to justify cut scenes and such.
It just felt unfinished regarding the story, or maybe a first part of an episodic game
@JJ2 yea, in terms of "value" and what one expects to receive from a full-priced, $60usd game, the order was far from adequate and did not meet expectations — not by a long shot. i think this is universally agreed on and the primary reason why it was so heavily criticzed. but the moment you take the price point away and look at the game for what it is on its own terms, you are left with a very competent game with some caveats that can be addressed with a sequel. i always keep the order in the back of my mind and hope rad gets a second attempt at fleshing out this intriguing world. sony has the bucks, they just need to be more trusting and not listen so closely to the hyperbole that came out of the media. i believe it sold over 1.5 million copies so it's not like it even lost sony money in the process. the order was one of the most unfairly judged games in history...
Where is Ready at Dawn?
@Porco
Yea I really like the game and is a classic on my shelf . However it's not just the price but also the story didn't deliver as a standalone experience. Too many plot holes and undelivered story lines imo considering the amazing setting. It just felt as if the gave up on the storyline at some point
I think Sony should absolutely snatch up Bluepoint games if they are given the choice. Sure you could say they can just seek their services whenever then want a remake/remaster, but not if they are working on a different project because someone else hired them.
I don’t see why them only making remakes/remasters would be a knock against them. At the end of the day it comes down to sales, and you only have to look at games like the N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro to see how lucrative these types of games can be.
Bluepoint makes some of the absolute best remasters you can get, with a consistently high quality and execution. Sony has plenty of older franchises that could be revived and give Bluepoint steady work for at least a couple decades.
@thefirst Sony does it too, so I don't see the point. Timed exclusive stuff always sucks.
I personally want them to buy Atlus from Sega or just flat out buy Sega. Is not really necessary to purchase most of those companies as they almost act as first party studios anyway.
We need something shocking like how Ninja Theory was for Microsoft, so a Rockstar games or WB games. Something that will be felt by Microsoft, most of those studios basically only make Playstation games anyway.
Just an awesome and well done article.
Personally, I want them to acquire Shift Up.
: : S H I F T U P : : http://shiftup.co.kr/
They clearly have a vision and acquiring this studio would definitely come with some caveats, i.e. not censoring games. Not a very popular Studio, so it wouldn't affect the gaming market.
@JJ2 i guess they were banking on a sequel that never happened
Wishful thinking: Insomniac Games and Kojima Productions.
Realistic: Housemarque, Bluepoint, Remedy.
@smythelove Thank you!
Some are saying "why should Sony aquire studio X since they already make games for them anyway" it's because it ties the studio, talent and IPs down and then you don't have to worry about losing them to a competitor.
In terms of criteria of studio they could want, well it seems their going big on AAA it'll be surprising if they buy a small indie studio unless they have the capacity to grow. Also they want to beef up multiplayer games. With that in mind here's some left field studios I'd consider.
IO Interactive (Hitman)
Turtle Rock (Left 4 Dead 2, Evolve)
Iron Galaxy (Killer Instinct Seasons 2 and 3, Extinction) fun note, Adam Boyes is CEO
Or Arc System Works (Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball Fighterz) would love Sony to have it's own fighting game.
Level 5 (Ni No Kuni, Dark Cloud) would strengthen their Japanese output.
Codemasters (Dirt, Grid, F1)
Or Slightly Mad Studios (Project Cars) If they want an alternative to Gran Turismo though unlikely.
And finally Ys Net (Shenmue 3) though that one's for Sammy lol.
Some VR centric studios shouldn't be ruled out either:
Camouflaj (Iron Man VR)
Firesprite (The Persistence) Also been made up of ex Sony Liverpool devs could be ideal for more Wipeout.
First Contact (Firewall Zero Hour)
And Survivos (Raw Data, Sprint Vector, Battlewake) seriously these guys are probably the most prolific VR developer in both variety and quality.
Insomniac is the one I think Sony has to buy, as unlikely as it seems. Should also be working out a deal with Quantic Dream to make them part of the Sony family.
The dark horse candidate that I'd like to see Sony get is Asobo. A Plague Tale: Innocence is one of those great 'AA' games that shows a dev team with tons of potential and it's the kind of game that fits in perfectly with what Sony does. It'd be a great match.
And in the wishful thinking but would be awesome category: Sony goes to Sega and works out a deal to land RGG Studio along with the Yakuza and Judgment IPs.
@AdamNovice They Could Also snap up Crytek For Not only Single Player and Mutiplayer Games but they would also get the Cry Engine
@Areus I thought Crytek sold it to Amazon but just had a look, they only licenced it. Interesting shout though.
Nitpicky comment here...since when is "neutral" the intermediate of "high" and "low"?
@badbob001 agreed. I think the way these remastered have sold makes sense. To the people saying Insomniac - it wasn't too long ago they were interviewed and said they really value their independence.
@Morenoj1220 because one has a parent company, and the other two wants to stay independent...
@eltomo nice meme
I guess tired of thier Systems?
@Juanalf unrealistic.
I love supermassive and want them on board but realistically housemarque will join.
@JoeBlogs We already know they're not willing because Sony has tried to purchase Insomniac in the past and Insomniac has said they don't want to be purchased by anyone because they love their independence...
@Gamer83 Sega isn't a solo company nor are they a development studio...They're owned by Sammy and they are a publisher....Its pretty likely Sammy keeps the name Sega around because who the hell would want to buy a Sammy game....
I'm not gonna lie, I don't like seeing 3rd party studios get bought by first parties. That might be good for that first party, but it is bad for consumers.
The only time I like it, is when the choice is between a company failing or being bought out. So if a studio were struggling financially or had some other problem, I'd like a successful first party to buy them, but otherwise no, please stay 3rd party and release games on as many platforms as is realistic.
@__marc
What I posted still stands. It's a pipe dream but I'm not saying buy Sega, the Sega name, whatever. I'm saying pry away RGG Studios and the Yakuza and Judgment IPs from whoever the owner is.
@Morenoj1220 - Nobody is talking about Sony buying Fromsoft because it'll never happen.
Article is kind of pointless when besides housemarque the rest would considered not happening. It may as well have been an article on Sony purchasing housemarque even though I think that would be a mistake
@JoeBlogs I would never call the order 1886 awful especially since there are truly awful games out there
@Agramonte You clearly have not played any of the awsome Housemarque games, Bluepoint has made Shadow of the Colussus look fantastic and updated the controls.
@Heavyarms55 I second that. It's like football on the telly here in the UK. You need at least 5 different subscriptions to see all the games you want, which is ridiculous.
It's an interesting discussion point for sure, and very well put together here. If it was me I'd be signing up Insomniac as soon as possible. A versatile and talented studio that seems to fit right in with Sony's preferred genres/styles.
I’d love to see them acquire Wales Interactive and Ninjabee.
@get2sammyb
Uh oh...somehow this turned into a "Sony is preparing a bid to buy Remedy and Alan Wake 2 will be a PS5 exclusive."
https://www.altchar.com/games-news/599911/alan-wake-2-could-be-new-playstation-exclusive
@lacerz I know, I saw some of that this morning. I think the article is very clear. I have heard from sources that Sony is going to acquire them but like I say in the text, I think they're mistaken.
More likely to me is that Sony will publish their next game.
Sony should acquire Spiders who is doing the new "Greedfall" game. Housemarque seems like a no brainer, the recent visit by Yoshida is telling. I would also like to see another one picked up. That makes three in total to add to their 1st party portfolio. Anything else is a pipe dream.
@Flaming_Kaiser
Nvidia just launched their $400-$600 RTX Super yesterday. And they advertising CONTROL, Legion, CyperPunk... and Promoting RayTracing, DLSS, 4K with them. Not $19 NexMachina or Matterfall.
1/4 the site selling a $699 card is a picture of Remedy's CONTROL
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/rtx-2080-super/
Studios that can produce big shinny exclusives is what SONY needs to sell $400+ PS5s
@get2sammyb
What sources about Remedy? Reliable?
@JoeBlogs You’re perfectly entitled to your opinion. If you criticise anything you’re soon find that. There are very few PS4 games that someone on here hasn’t enjoyed and would like a sequel to.
@Knuckles-Fajita Retro is clearly owned by Nintendo....
@ShaiHulud Ugh, that sounds positively obnoxious!
@LiamCroft yeah I meant Sunset Overdrive. Thanks for pointing out.
@Octane yes I meant Sunset Overdrive. Thanks for the correction.
Here's an out of left field choice Grasshopper so Sony own No More Heroes and have suda51 and all his craziness on bored also Red Candle Games if Sony were to buy them maybe that would help their current situation https://www.pcgamer.com/the-chinese-publisher-of-horror-game-devotion-has-had-its-business-license-revoked/
@Porco care to insert your foot? Lol
After insomniacs I want sony to acquire remedy, make alan wake 2 and control 2 for ps5
@wiiware I don't disagree that much but, does Sony really need another studio that churns 3rd-person adventure games? Seems like they have quite a few of those already
Hello Games is a studio Sony should consider acquiring imo. Despite the launch of No Man's Sky, their post-launch support shows they are a special studio and I can't wait to see what game they make next.
My money is on Housemarque, but I would like supermassive to be brought on. They could be a fresh face for story driven games, Sony is always big on those.
@BambooBushido I'd love if Grasshopper is acquired but it's incredibly unlikely.
I want go against the flow: First Contact and / or Survios. Next generations battle will be on the VR field thereby Sony should acquire VR specialised developer.
IMHO, Sony did buy Insominiac not because of the Spider-Man success but because they have been developing games for the Oculus and indeed, I think the next Insominiac game to be available on a PS platform will be a VR one, only after that, Spider-Man 2
Remedy for sure, but Bluepoint is Essentially for Sony because they need so many Remake and remastered that only could do by Bluepoint's Standards...
except this 2, i highly looking for "Ready at down"...
for number 4, i think they need a Japanese studios that already Independent like Level-5 or Platinum Games!
@Porco Totally agree with you on Housemarque. They make brilliant games but they just dont sell.
@Neolit look at when my post was written this isn't a new article
@Neolit Amazing news, isn't it?? Really hope we'll get a Spider-Man sequel on PS5...
@Neolit That was a July 2nd post... we all guess right 😉
Fantastic purchase. Can't wait see what they do on PS5!
@Neolit i know but this article is a repost and if you notice my post was made in July, at least a month before the acquisition of Insomniac was done
@Neolit Totally agree with you but look at Nex Machima brilliant game did not sell its almost a crime. 😩
I'd prefer Remedy, but any of these studios would be positive additions.
@Neolit I made my comment before they were acquired.
I wanted it to be Insomniac so am glad that’s already happened.
Otherwise ready at dawn would be good and obviously kojima. It’s a shame Sony didn’t invest in Evolution to keep making racing games...
@Kidfried yeah I think I read that only 40% of the team that made Prime 1 are still at retro...
@Neolit It really helps if you look at the date of those posts. This is NOT a new post at all and the comments were NOT written after Sony added Insomniac to their rosta of Studio's. The article was written 2months ago - quite a number of weeks before the surprise announcement a week or two ago...
@Athrum I like 3rd-person action/adventure games, the more the merrier I say
@Neolit Don't worry. Time travel is always confusing.
If they're going to go big with the next acquisition the smart (and safe) choice is Kojima's studio over Remedy. I still say go, and add two studios. Housemarque would be a good get and still think Asobo is worth a look.
At the end of the day, I'm just happy Insomniac is in the fold, playing its games on anything other than PlayStation is just weird. Would've been like if Playground Games had ever left Xbox.
I think Remedy and Housemarque are really strong possibilities now. Especially the way Sony's other studios have tweeting at them, plus Yoshida visited both studios not long ago along with Housemarque confirming that their making there first AAA game so that's worth considering.
I think it would be great if they bought a Japanese studio to show more of a commitment in that area. Level 5 would be top of the list though Kojima Productions would be more of a safer bet in western territories.
VR studios can't be ruled out either, First Contact, Survios and the Iron Man VR devs could be in the running
@madcow78 Exactly, the Insomniac acquisition was not just for their normal games, but also for their VR developmental experience. Insomniac has made 3 VR games for Oculus this gen already, with a 4’th one releasing soon.
They have turned into a very knowledgeable VR studio, and from what I read their training in VR development was basically funded by Oculus. So Sony acquiring Insomniac is great for first-party AAA games, but also a major blow to Oculus and a major boon for PSVR.
I can see the studio getting split up as a VR team and AAA team, and have both types of games being developed at the same time.
The obvious answer was Insomniac. I would pick Bluepoint -lock them into doing PS remakes/remasters - plenty of diversity so they wouldn't get bored. Of the others, I only know of Kojima and feel if Death Stranding is a success it wouldn't happen. But if DS becomes the next Phantom Pain, which while having strong points, is also obviously unfinished. Only time will tell.
A good article would be WWS studios that are currently underutilized or devs that have previously done PS4 games, but have gone silent.
Platinum Games, please.
I think they d be good now after insomniac news but it looks like Sony may still be looking into buying more. I'd like Remedy for the type of games they make and that d help them actually build up on those franchises with more incentive and more resources.
I think RAD is working on a PS5 game and they also have a good history with PlayStation similar to insomniac but smaller of course.
Ready at dawn and make Order 1886 sequel.
Bluepoint games and make more PS3 remakes.
Supermassive games and make more VR games.
Thatgamecompany and make more games lije journey, flow and flower.
Housemarque - and make more games like Alienation, Resogun.
Quantic dream - and make more great adventures like Heavy Rain, Fahrenheit, Beyond: two souls or Detroit Become Human.
Not sure about Kojima. Maybe some contract with them for next few games would be great.
This is the problem with republishing old articles as new. I can understand why it's done, but... perhaps scrub the comments when doing so?
@Neolit haha, guess it was you who had an awesome summer! 🤣
@Paranoimia I think the Push Square system is that if an article gets edited in any way it is automatically re-published.
I think Bluepoint is the more obvious choice here. Not only they've been almost exclusively working with Sony, I know for a fact that they're making a remake of a beloved game for PS5.
You make a good point with Bluepoint games, they remaster, that create from the ground up but, if they did, that would be a neat tool to have in your toolbox. As for Housmarque and Supermassive, I think Sony had their chance with these two and they didn't so they went multi-platform so I think that deal is off the table. Your article title is misleading though because some you stated flat out wouldn't be the case, so why? Quantic Dream should've happened and it didn't, Sony had multiple chances and blew it though I'm sure Quantic Dream are grateful for the opportunities afforded them by Sony and David Cage was always very vocal about this. Insomniac, honestly, just completed the Trifecta. Everyone knows Insomniac just belongs at PlayStation and it just feels right, and I think a lot of their staff enjoyed working with Sony, just made sence completing the Trifecta of Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Insomniac. It was a really smart move for Ted Price finally having his head screwed on right and getting his multiplatform need out of his system, Microsoft is NEVER good to work with, I feel bad for Obsidian, they must've been really despirate and Ninja Theory is on it's way out.
It wasn't mentioned, but Sony--honestly--needs to seriously consider Ready at Dawn. I don't know why this hasn't happened yet already, 1887 anyone?
Updated!
@Quintumply but what about updating survey? also you could added Firewall VR's developer too
Edit: it has deleted
I would've loved a Remedy acquisition to get the chance to play Quantum Break. I loved Alan Wake and Control is the best game I've played this year.
Nihon Falcom. Sony would then have access to the Ys and Legends of Heroes series of games, and they could then work on creating triple A titles that are a bit more accessible to western audiences. A move like this could potentially make those two series of games household names in the Europe and the US markets. After seeing the success of the Final Fantasy VII remake and wanting games that will eat up their players’ time (so that the players aren’t investing their time on XBox or pc platforms), it’s a natural fit for Sony’s own PSNow outlet—day one releases to compete with XBox’s service. You can’t complete these long, involved rpgs in a day or even a week (unless you’re spending 7-8 hrs per day on ‘em), and so many players, once invested in the games, will continue their PSNow subscriptions for multiple months to keep playing ‘em until their epically long conclusions have been reached. Since the storylines and characters and lore have already been created, it’d cut down on the development time considerably.
They could get Ninja Theory once they defect from Microsoft. As usual, instead of allowing their developer to create the game they want, they pushed them to make yet another pillar for Gamepass (anti-consumer garbage), and like Sea of Thieves, Gears 5, State of Decay 2, Crackdown 3, etc... Bleeding Edge is far from the quality they're known for (aside from Heavenly Sword... That's a fluke we don't talk about) and not only is it sinking fast but MS has no intention of helping them in any way. Phil wants the subscribers, the games don't have to be good so long as you give him another month. ***** Phil, Gamepass, and Microsoft, they're everything that's wrong with gaming today.
BluePoint is the obvious choise.
Kojima Productions also make sense, but we all know he want to be a free studio.
I will love to see Sony make a move on a BIG japanese dev, like Platinum or FromSoftware...
Housemarque is ok, but it has a very low value as a brand and it's games are tiny things.
Two that I would love for them to acquire but think is unlikely, would be Frogwares and Dontnod. Studios with strong, ambitious single player, narrative-driven ideas that could really benefit from Sony's financial backing and quality control to kick their projects up a level.
Sony can buy anything but Remedy, if they do that I'll never buy anything Sony again. Remedy games NEED to be played maxed out on PC at 60+fps.
@d0x360 Agreed. If they stop supporting the platform they started out on, I'll stop supporting them entirely.
@jgrangervikings1 I seriously hope they don't ever acquire Falcom - I love playing all the Trails and Ys games on PC. I don't mind them releasing first on Sony consoles but they have to release on others eventually.
@JoeBlogs
1886 had few short comings but was far from being utterly awful.
@neoxmahi talking about RAD, I have recently found out that they are on a massive hiring spree for a AAA game.
🤞🤞🤞For a 1886 sequel
@Chryssy75 ''For a Oder 1886 sequel''
Be still my heart...be godamned still.
@ApostateMage Quantum Break is a different story. Remedy developed the game but Microsoft owns the IP. So they would need to buy that too.
@GoblinKing86 Sorry but you have no clue about what you are saying. Bleeding Edge was not pushed on Ninja Theory at all. It was a passion project a very small team was working on.
I hope PS5 exclusive games will focus not only with third-person adventure/cinematic narrative games but some RPGs, platformers or just being fun games in general such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Twisted Metal, Ape Escape, Legend of Dragoon, Crash/Spyro (though Activision owns them) a partnership with Japan Studio.
@Porco lol. Insomniac will never happen? ☺️
@Juanalf wb games would be amazing
@Shigurui that would be EPIC!
@Darklordcreeper yea, i know. things change. i was wrong
Bluepoint would be a great get. Let's be honest, Sony has a ton of shelved (retired) IPs, most of which, their original team cannot (defunct) or would not (move forward on new IP) work on. People still want to play them, so there is a market. And remasters are all the rage. I'd say they'd be the best option as of now.
@Porco lol. Now let's hope for BluePoint, or even FromSoft!!! Now that we've seen the PS5 reveal!!!!!!!
@get2sammyb Could you please update this list please?
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